The civil society group August Twenty-One Movement (ATOM) said the Supreme Court decision that reversed the graft conviction of former First Lady Imelda Marcos was a blow for justice and common decency.
Imelda is the mother of the incumbent President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the widow of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
ATOM, which was formed after the assassination of Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. and fought the Marcos dictatorship, said the SC ruling extinguished the hope it saw when the President’s cousin, former Speaker Martin Romualdez, was arrested for plunder.
“Today was a disappointing day for justice and common decency. We saw what you did today,” it said in a statement.
It said the ruling underscored the extent of the Marcoses’ power, that even after being ousted in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, they have not been held to account.
“The SC decision today is an example of why we never saw them spend a day in jail. They were so powerful during martial law, and it carried on even through the years after martial law,” it said.
It said the Supreme Court did nothing to stop the dictator after martial law was declared.
“Now, injustice has ‘blessed’ the other half of the Marcos dictatorship with this gift of dismissal,” it added.
ATOM said it would not stop fighting injustice and efforts to whitewash history by the Duterte and Marcos administrations.
It will not let the country forget what the Marcoses had done.
“To Mr. Marcos, Jr., alam ng buong mundo kung anong klaseng pagnanakaw ang ginawa ng pamilya ninyo sa bayan, na patuloy na pinagdudusahan ng henerasyon ngayon. We saw what you did today. We know why you did it. We will not forget, and we will remember,” it said.
It also reminded the Supreme Court that the people are sovereign.
Imelda Marcos’ graft cases stemmed from allegations that she had managed and used Swiss foundations for her private benefit while holding public office in the Philippines.
The Sandiganbayan convicted her, but the SC found legal and evidentiary problems with the anti-graft court’s verdict.